viewfinder or lcd screen quotation

use the viewfinder may become impossible when the view gets worse as with presbyopia. in spite of the trouble that sunlight has on lcd, I can not use the viewfinder, for a variety of reasons that complicate and prevent it from being ready to take the photo,

1) put the glasses where? keep in mind that every time you move the glasses lenses because it creates opportunity to come in contact with something, even if it does not scratch, any contact with any solid object will cause micro-abrasions, repeated over time, causing loss of transparency, if you have a pair of glasses from a few dollars , qiesto ok not a problem, if you have progressive glasses, ok this unseemly for an amateur ..

- If I keep them in my hand, I can not use the camera and use all the control functions with only one hand, perhaps with a small compact that will always fire in automatic, but not with a mirrorlees.

If you still find a way to support his glasses, you have another problem, when you take glasses and look in the viewfinder, you have visual mismatch for a few seconds, then return the glasses, yet the visual mismatch, if you do studio photography, perhaps ok not a problem, but if you"re on the road, you have to seize the moment ..

In order to achieve good photos, ok important the feeling with their own camera, and with the world around you, the act of making a photograph has to be spontaneous, and more complicated, the less you are able to do photography, if it is too complicated passes the desire to do photography.

I use lcd from many advantages for action photo, I see both the image and all the controls of the camera, I am always ready to make photo adjustments a snap.

if I need to move area of focus, with lcd touch and very easy, I can take the photo, when in doubt click again with different setting, with memory card we have many great variation with, with the film was the most expensive ..

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The benefits of the viewfinder and LCD screen are often compared with one another. Depending on whom you ask, you might hear remarkably different opinions on the usability of the two.

Let’s go through some of the pros and cons of both and present you with an objective case for why you should pick one over the other. Keep in mind that this isn’t meant to dictate which shooting method you should use. There are valid reasons to use both; it just depends on the situation.

As discussed above, photography is all about precision. Viewfinders have been around long before LCD screens, and therefore many photographers find viewfinders more comfortable to work with.

Viewfinders offer much more precision when you are shooting, especially on a bright day. It allows you to focus on the small details. Viewfinders reduce image distortion and capture an accurate image. That’s why most DSLRs and high-end mirrorless cameras today still have viewfinders.

Running out of battery is a nightmare for photographers, especially if you don’t have any spares. That’s why viewfinders are considered optimal in these situations. Viewfinders use comparatively much less battery than LCD screens.

If you are shooting in an area where electricity is scarce, or don’t have access to a charger or backup batteries, the viewfinder will be a better choice for you.

Viewfinders are very convenient to use and provide smooth handling. When looking through the viewfinder, it’s easy to keep the camera steady. This makes the viewfinder an optimal choice when you need to zoom in or have a slightly heavier camera.

For many people, this extra effort of adjusting your eyeglasses is troublesome. However, some viewfinder cameras have a built-in diopter that can help make it easier to use with glasses.

Viewfinders can be much smaller compared to LCD screens. As a result, you may not be able to see everything you’re capturing in the viewfinder accurately. This drawback is very important for photographers who want to preview every single detail when taking a picture.

To see details on viewfinders, especially the electronic ones, you have to zoom in on the frame. However, this can lower the resolution of the preview. Luckily, if most of your shots consist of zoom shots, this may not bother you much.

What sets LCD screens apart from viewfinders is their ability to provide 100% image coverage to the photographer. In comparison, cameras with a viewfinder offer around 90-95% of the image, sometimes less.

What you see through the viewfinder doesn’t always end up in the final result. Small details can be crucial. That’s why this 5-10% difference in image coverage can be a significant reason why you might choose an LCD screen over the viewfinder.

When you are in a lower field-of-view, framing can be much more difficult. Many people can’t take a picture while lying on the ground using a viewfinder. This is where LCD screens come in. Flexible LCDs make it easier for you to capture images when you can’t reach awkward angles.

LCD screens produce great results for night photography. LCD screens are often used for night photography due to their bright image playback quality. They help you focus on the small details when you are shooting at night.

An evident shortcoming of the LCD screen is its lack of utility on a bright day. Because of the glare, many people cannot use their LCD screen at all on a sunny day. It’s hard to see anything on the LCD except the reflections.

Another drawback to using an LCD screen is its difficulty in handling it. Holding the camera while looking through the LCD screen is difficult and takes a lot of effort, especially when you are zooming and trying to be precise.

Another disadvantage of LCD screens is the fact that they can easily overexpose your image. This should not be a problem for seasoned photographers who can improve the quality of the image with better handling and precision.

Those were some of the benefits and drawbacks of using a viewfinder and LCD screen to consider. So, which one is best? The answer depends on your personal preferences and budget.

If you’re a traditional photographer, you’ll probably be more comfortable with the viewfinder. If you are a photographer who likes to focus on small details and image quality, you should opt for the LCD screen.

The third and fourth generation A7 cameras, as well as the A9 series, have a built-in viewfinder and a tilting LCD screen on the rear with touch capabilities. There are several settings you can configure to get the most out of your EVF and monitor. Let’s take a look at them.

This article is valid for the following Sony cameras: A7 III, A7R III, A7R IV, A9 and A9 II. Some have different specifications and settings (especially concerning the EVF) so I’ve made sure to highlight this information in the article. The post can be considered valid for previous generation A7 cameras too, although they have less features (touch sensitivity being the most relevant one).

Note: throughout the article, I will mention various pages of the menu system. When entering the Menu, your A7 III will display icons on top of the screen. Each refers to a main section as you can see below.

The exact position of a setting might vary slightly from one camera to the other. Most likely, it will be on the previous or next page to the one I mention.

On older Sony cameras (mark I and II generation), Camera Settings 2 is called Custom Settings, the icons are a bit different (see below), some settings are in a different part of the menu, and there is no title or page number.

Ethics statement: we own the A7 III and A7R III, and we’ve tested all the Sony full frame cameras. We were not asked to write anything about these products, nor were we provided with any sort of compensation. Within the article, there are affiliate links. If you buy something after clicking the link, we will receive a small commission. To know more about our ethics, you can visit our full disclosure page. Thank you!

In this article we’re going to dive into a lot of parameters, but if you’ve just bought your first mirrorless camera, there is one setting I must introduce to you first.

If you choose Setting Effect ON, the monitor and viewfinder will show you the real exposure of your scene, meaning it will preview the effect of your shutter speed, aperture, ISO and exposure compensation settings. Other parameters such as the Creative Style (colour profiles) and White Balance are also represented.

This is one of the main benefits of working with a mirrorless camera. The exposure preview is very useful to see right away if you’re over or under exposing the photograph, or if the colours don’t look right. With DSLRs, you can check this by activating Live View on the rear monitor, but you can’t have it in the viewfinder since it is not electronic.

If you choose Setting Effect OFF, the camera will ignore your exposure parameters and give you optimal brightness and colours for the EVF or LCD screen, no matter the situation you’re working in. The word VIEW appears on the screen. You have to keep an eye on the metering indicator and make sure you’re using the right settings.

There are times where you want to have the best brightness possible to see what’s going in your scene, regardless of the exposure settings used. For example when working in a studio with flash, the exposure preview might be too dark because the flash emits light only when you take the photograph. Other situations where you may want Setting Effect Off is for birds in flight and astro-photography.

The next thing to look at is a dedicated button that controls the two screens of your camera (LCD and EVF): the DISP button. You can find it on the rear, on top of the control wheel.

If you press it repeatedly, you’ll see that the amount of information overlaying the LCD or EVF changes. By default the camera should show you the live view of your scene with lots of information around the four edges.

The final press will disable live view on the rear monitor and show you all the settings in use as well as the Fn menu. This last mode is not available in the EVF.

Note: the information displayed is independent for the LCD and viewfinder. For example, if you activate the histogram in the viewfinder of your A7 III, it won’t appear on the LCD screen automatically unless you press the DISP button while working with the rear monitor.

Some of the information shown when pressing the DISP button can be customised in the menu. To do this:Go to Camera Settings 2 / Display Auto Review 1 (page 6/9)

Overall there is a lot of information that can appear on the screen but there is one that won’t show. You can’t display the focal length on your A7 III or other A7 cameras. The only time this information appears on the LCD or EVF is when using a Sony Power Zoom lens such as the 18-105mm f4 G.

The A7 III viewfinder resolution is the lowest with 2.36 million dots. This is the same resolution found on the first and second generation of A7 cameras.

The A7R III viewfinder refresh rate is set to 50/60Hz by default, but you can raise it to 100/120Hz. The same can be done with the A9 series and the A7R IV.

Note: in PAL mode, the frame rate works at 50 and 100Hz. In NTSC mode, it’s 60 or 120Hz. You can switch from PAL to NTSC in Setup Menu 2 / NTSC PAL Selector, but be aware that changing this parameter affects your video recording settings, and you may have to format the memory card. So unless you need to change it for other reasons than the EVF frame rate, I would leave it as it is.

With color temperature, you can make the EVF colours look warmer or colder. Personally I always keep it to 0 on all cameras. If you want to change this:Go to Setup Menu 1 (page 1/7)

The A7 III viewfinder brightness, as well as that of the other A7/A9 models, can be set in automatic or manual mode. Auto works well in many cases and I don’t find myself wanting to change it very often. But if I want maximum performance from the EVF, I’ll occasionally raise the brightness to +2.Go to Setup Menu 1 (page 1/7)

Blackout means that when you take a picture, the EVF goes black for an instant while the exposure is being recorded. You can notice the same thing on the rear LCD screen. This happens with the mechanical, first electronic curtain and electronic shutter.

Blackouts are visible in single shot mode and in continuous mode up to 8fps (Hi setting). With the latter, the camera alternates blackouts with live view. If you set the highest drive speed of 10fps (Hi+), the live view is disabled and the camera shows you the last images taken instead. This also eliminates the LCD / EVF blackout, but you’re seeing what has just happened rather than what it is happening, so there is a lag between your scene and what is shown on the screen.

The Sony A9 and A9 series work in a different way. Thanks to their stacked sensor and superior processing speed capabilities, the cameras can maintain an uninterrupted live view when using the Silent Shooting mode (electronic shutter). There are no blackouts either because the cameras have enough power to maintain live view while recording the images. This is valid in single and continuous mode up to 20fps.

When you bring the camera to your eye, a dedicated sensor on top of the EVF (eye sensor) can disable the monitor and activate the viewfinder automatically. When you move the camera away from your face, the viewfinder is disabled and live view goes back to the LCD screen.

If you wish, you can control which screen remains active manually. In fact, the only way to disable the viewfinder on Sony cameras is to deactivate the Finder / Monitor automatic switch. To do this:Go to Camera Settings 2 / Display Auto Review 1 (page 6/9)

This method is useful in situations where you’re only working with the rear monitor, and you don’t want the camera accidentally disabling it when your fingers are close to the eye sensor. The sensor can also be triggered by keeping the camera too close to your body.

There aren’t specific settings for the rear monitor apart from the brightness adjustments. (For touch screen capabilities, please refer to the dedicated chapter below.)

With Manual you can set brightness in ±2 steps. I leave it to +2 because the default value (0) is not very bright, especially when working outside. Sunny Weather boosts the brightness further, but also makes colours look unnatural so I tend to avoid it (+2 in manual mode is enough).

I have a screen protector on my A7 III and A7R III. They are inexpensive, don’t interfere with touch operation and give an extra layer of protection to the rear monitor of your camera. Check out our dedicated accessory article to find out more.

Note: with both methods, TouchPad on the screen remains active if this option is enabled. You can find out more about the touch screen capabilities further down.

With High, the quality of the LCD and EVF increases because the resolution increases. In other words, the EVF and LCD use the full resolution available whereas with Normal, it drops to preserve more battery life.

It is useful to set Display Quality to High when manually focusing, or working in a situation where there are a lot of details in your scene and you want to see them better. The difference is not immediately noticeable but small details are crisper and there is no aliasing.

You can activate a series of thin grey lines in the live view to help you with the composition. There are three options:Rule of 3rds Grid: the screen is divided into 9 blocks to represent the classic rule of third composition in photography

When shooting in continuous mode, the camera can display an indicator (vertical bar) on the left to show you how much buffer memory is left. When the bar is almost empty, the word SLOW will appear and the continuous shooting speed will decrease. There are two options:Always Display: the bar is always displayed when you are in continuous shooting mode

I always turn this off because I prefer to go back to live view as soon as possible after taking a shot. If you prefer, you can have the image you just captured appear on the EVF or LCD for a set duration (2s to 10s).

You can enable or disable the focus areas that appear when the camera is focusing in continuous AF mode (Disp. cont. AF area), as well as see the zone covered by phase detection points (Phase Detect. Area).

When recording video with a S-Log or HLG profile, enabling the Gamma Disp. Assist makes the image preview on the LCD or EVF appear with natural contrast and colours, as opposed to the flat and desaturated look of an S-Log gamma curve.

You can configure how long the magnification remains active (2s, 5s or No Limit), as well as set which magnification starts first when you press the button (1x or 6.2x). You’ll find these options in Camera Settings 1 / Focus Assist (page 13/14). Look for Focus Magnif. Time and Initial Focus Mag.*

I found that Focus Magnifier is the best way to check focus accuracy on the A7 cameras. Unfortunately in video mode, the resolution of the live view decreases a lot so details are not as sharp as when working in still mode. Often I fine tune my focus point in still mode and then switch to movie mode.

The magnification assist also works in AF-S mode. Once magnified, you can half press the shutter button (or press the back focus button) to focus while you are in magnification mode. A green cross in the middle of the screen will confirm that focus is acquired.

You can choose three levels (High, Mid, Low) and three colours (Red, Yellow or White). You can configure these settings in Camera Settings 1 / Focus Assist (page 13/14) by entering Peaking Setting.

Low gives you fewer coloured outlines which makes it easier to focus more precisely. However in some situations (such as when the subject is not close enough), they might not appear at all unless you set it to Mid level. As for colours, it really depends on the colours of your scene. I generally go for yellow or red.

Peaking can be useful to perform a quick adjustment and set focus on the right area. For fine tune adjustments however, it can lack some precision, so I would always double check with the Focus Magnifier.

Peaking can be easier to use when the live view is in Black and White. Unfortunately there isn’t a setting to make the EVF or LCD monochrome. The workaround is to select the B&W Creative Style (Camera Settings 1, page 12/14) and turn On Setting Effect for the Live View Display (Camera Settings 2, page 7/9). This works if you’re shooting RAW files because they are not affected by the Creative Style settings. If you’re shooting JPGs, this is not ideal because you’ll end up with B&W images!

The rear monitor of the A7 III, A7 IV and A9 series is touch sensitive. There isn’t a lot you can do with it unlike many of the competing cameras from other brands.

There is no touch shutter mode on the A7 III or other E-mount full frame cameras for example. This is curious because Sony implemented this functionality onto the old a5100 APS-C camera and also the recent a6400. Why they haven’t implemented touch shutter on all compatible models remains an enigma.

In Setup 2, you’ll find Touch Operation where you simply enable or disable touch sensitivity. If touch focus isn’t working on your A7 model, it is likely because the setting is disabled.

First, you need an HDMI cable. All the A7/A9 cameras have a Micro Type D port, so you’ll likely need a Micro D to full size HDMI lead (but check the input of you monitor to be sure).

If you’re connecting your A7 III to an external recorder, or want to monitor your composition without distractions, make sure that the camera doesn’t embed the setting information you see on the LCD screen, but rather gives you a clean video output.

For an external recorder, there are additional settings (excluding the A7 I series):Turn the TC Output (TimeCode) On or Off depending on your needs. This is a bit advanced if you’re just starting out, so if in doubt leave it off.

If you want to control the external recorder from the camera (Start/Stop the recording), turn On REC Control. Note that TC Output also needs to be On for this to work.

The rear LCD of the camera should remain active, and you should see the clean video feed on the external recorder connected to your A7 III. From there, you need to set up the recording on the external device. Refer to the manual of the specific model you are using.

Note: when your Sony A7 III is connected to the external recorder, the LCD screen of the camera can go black when triggering the recording from the camera.

In Setup page 4, you’ll find the 4K Output Sel. setting with two options:Memory Card + HDMI: record 4K on the SD card while sending a 4K signal via HDMI at the same time, which means you can record on both camera and recorder.

HDMI Only (24p, 25p or 30p): 4K is available via the HDMI output only. The frame rate is 24 or 30p (NTSC), or 25p (PAL). You cannot record 4K video internally on the SD card.

If you want to replicate the exact view you get on the rear LCD of your camera, including all the information on the screen, turn On the HDMI Info. Display. The rear LCD of your camera will turn off and you can work with the external monitor instead.

Note: if you have set up 4K recording in the camera, the info won’t be displayed on the external monitor. You need to select XAVC S HD or AVCHD for this to work.

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Framing and shooting through a viewfinder allows the photographer to stabilize the camera and reduce the shake since it is closer to the body. Besides, Viewfinders come handy under bright sun light where LCD screens are very hard to read under bright sunlight. With the electronic viewfinders, you can also preview your photos without taking your eye off the camera.

Here we have listed the Cheapest 20 Cameras with Viewfinder sorted by price. Fujifilm S9800 is at the top of our list with a Selling Price of $ 159.99, followed by Panasonic ZS60 and Panasonic ZS50.

There are two kinds of camera accessories. Those that directly affect the quality of the images/audio you record and those that merely affect the experience of capturing it. Examples of the former: lens filters, specialty microphones, and light kits. Examples of the latter: carrying cases, external monitors, and focus assisting devices.

LCD viewfinders are in the second group. They’re accessories designed to help you see better what you’re shooting. They take the image from a camera’s LCD screen and funnel it into an eyepiece. They won’t change how light reaches the image sensor. They won’t give you the ability to record shots you wouldn’t otherwise be able to capture (for the most part). They just make shooting a better experience, particular in certain circumstances.

Those circumstances include shooting in sunlight, where an LCD can be hard to see. They are also beneficial with handheld shots, as your head can now provide additional stability to the camera. And regardless of where or how you’re shooting, LCDs on the back of cameras — which nowadays run about 3 inches in size — aren’t ideal when it comes to focusing. An image that looks in-focus at 3 inches could turn out blurry on a bigger screen. Eyepieces, which fill your field of vision with the image being captured, have a major edge in that area. So if you have a camera that doesn’t include an eyepiece, or it has one, but the eyepiece isn’t of much using when recording video (as is the case with most DSLRs), an LCD view finder can be a lifesaver.

FYI: I didn’t even know this product existed until I saw it on Cheesycam.com. If you’re interested in buying this, you’ll want to check out their take on it, which gets more into detail on what specific camera models it works well with.

Like the Carry Speed viewfinders, the QV-1 mounts to the bottom of the camera via a special baseplate (that comes with it). To me, this is preferable to viewfinders that attach directly to the back of the camera (via glue or rubber bands or straps of some kind). The baseplate that comes with the QV-1 uses a magnet to hold the viewfinder in place. This is a nice touch. The magnet is strong enough that you never worry about the viewfinder coming loose when you don’t want it to, but it’s easy enough to remove when you don’t need it.

The included baseplate is compatible with some tripod heads right out of the box (those that work with Manfrotto 501PL-type plates). But if it’s not inherently compatible with yours, that’s not a huge deal, as it’s designed to be used in conjunction with whatever baseplate goes with your current tripod head. I don’t have the “right” kind of tripod head, but, as you can see below, it still works well with the QV-1.

Now, I wear glasses. One concern I did have is whether or not it’ll have an adjustment to compensate for my poor eyesight, since most viewfinders don’t work well with glasses. There is a “diopter adjustment” that allows you to change the position of the “glass” (which is really plastic) inside the viewfinder ever-so-slightly. This can help compensate for people with poor eyesight. But it didn’t work for me. My eyesight was just out of the range the diopter could correct (which, to be honest, seemed to have a very limited range). Fortunately, this turned out NOT to be a deal breaker, since the generously sized eyepiece works well with my wire-framed glasses. I don’t have to remove my glasses to use it, which is great.

The QV-1 comes with an allen wrench used to tailor the location of the viewfinder to your particular camera. I’m only using this on a Canon 5D Mark III. The Mark III has a 3.2 inch screen, which, at the moment, is still an atypical screen size (3 inches is more common). But the QV-1 works well with it. It doesn’t seem to block any of the image, nor does it block any of the buttons on the back of the camera (or the battery door on the bottom of it). Again, if you’re interested in whether or not this will work with your camera, I’d check Cheesycam review and this web page from people who sell it.

The main selling point for me, though, was the upgraded kit which includes a rail system. This kit comes with QV-1 and the baseplate it attaches to AND with an additional base and two 8 inch long “rails.” The rails are 15mm in diameter, which is a standard dimension in DSLR gear circles. I look forward to using these rails to add a “follow focus” (which makes keeping focus easier when shooting video) and a matte box (to block excess light from leaking into the lens).

Features — In addition to the nice magnetic mechanism that allows the viewfinder to be easily removed when not needed, the eyepiece can also be “flipped up” so other people can see the LCD screen while still having some shade from the sun.

Competition — In this price range, you can get a “loupe” that more or less serves the same purpose as an LCD view finder. A loupe is a smaller magnifying device that is meant to be held over the LCD so you can get a better look at your footage. If you want an accessory that’ll aid in handheld shooting, though, a loupe won’t cut it. You need a viewfinder that mounts onto the camera.

I’ll definitely be keeping the Kamerar QV-1 LCD view finder (which I purchased with my own money, like all the products I review). The kit that includes both the view finder and the rail system is less than $150

The third and fourth generation A7 cameras, as well as the A9 series, have a built-in viewfinder and a tilting LCD screen on the rear with touch capabilities. There are several settings you can configure to get the most out of your EVF and monitor. Let’s take a look at them.

This article is valid for the following Sony cameras: A7 III, A7R III, A7R IV, A9 and A9 II. Some have different specifications and settings (especially concerning the EVF) so I’ve made sure to highlight this information in the article. The post can be considered valid for previous generation A7 cameras too, although they have less features (touch sensitivity being the most relevant one).

Note: throughout the article, I will mention various pages of the menu system. When entering the Menu, your A7 III will display icons on top of the screen. Each refers to a main section as you can see below.

The exact position of a setting might vary slightly from one camera to the other. Most likely, it will be on the previous or next page to the one I mention.

On older Sony cameras (mark I and II generation), Camera Settings 2 is called Custom Settings, the icons are a bit different (see below), some settings are in a different part of the menu, and there is no title or page number.

Ethics statement: we own the A7 III and A7R III, and we’ve tested all the Sony full frame cameras. We were not asked to write anything about these products, nor were we provided with any sort of compensation. Within the article, there are affiliate links. If you buy something after clicking the link, we will receive a small commission. To know more about our ethics, you can visit our full disclosure page. Thank you!

In this article we’re going to dive into a lot of parameters, but if you’ve just bought your first mirrorless camera, there is one setting I must introduce to you first.

If you choose Setting Effect ON, the monitor and viewfinder will show you the real exposure of your scene, meaning it will preview the effect of your shutter speed, aperture, ISO and exposure compensation settings. Other parameters such as the Creative Style (colour profiles) and White Balance are also represented.

This is one of the main benefits of working with a mirrorless camera. The exposure preview is very useful to see right away if you’re over or under exposing the photograph, or if the colours don’t look right. With DSLRs, you can check this by activating Live View on the rear monitor, but you can’t have it in the viewfinder since it is not electronic.

If you choose Setting Effect OFF, the camera will ignore your exposure parameters and give you optimal brightness and colours for the EVF or LCD screen, no matter the situation you’re working in. The word VIEW appears on the screen. You have to keep an eye on the metering indicator and make sure you’re using the right settings.

There are times where you want to have the best brightness possible to see what’s going in your scene, regardless of the exposure settings used. For example when working in a studio with flash, the exposure preview might be too dark because the flash emits light only when you take the photograph. Other situations where you may want Setting Effect Off is for birds in flight and astro-photography.

The next thing to look at is a dedicated button that controls the two screens of your camera (LCD and EVF): the DISP button. You can find it on the rear, on top of the control wheel.

If you press it repeatedly, you’ll see that the amount of information overlaying the LCD or EVF changes. By default the camera should show you the live view of your scene with lots of information around the four edges.

The final press will disable live view on the rear monitor and show you all the settings in use as well as the Fn menu. This last mode is not available in the EVF.

Note: the information displayed is independent for the LCD and viewfinder. For example, if you activate the histogram in the viewfinder of your A7 III, it won’t appear on the LCD screen automatically unless you press the DISP button while working with the rear monitor.

Some of the information shown when pressing the DISP button can be customised in the menu. To do this:Go to Camera Settings 2 / Display Auto Review 1 (page 6/9)

Overall there is a lot of information that can appear on the screen but there is one that won’t show. You can’t display the focal length on your A7 III or other A7 cameras. The only time this information appears on the LCD or EVF is when using a Sony Power Zoom lens such as the 18-105mm f4 G.

The A7 III viewfinder resolution is the lowest with 2.36 million dots. This is the same resolution found on the first and second generation of A7 cameras.

The A7R III viewfinder refresh rate is set to 50/60Hz by default, but you can raise it to 100/120Hz. The same can be done with the A9 series and the A7R IV.

Note: in PAL mode, the frame rate works at 50 and 100Hz. In NTSC mode, it’s 60 or 120Hz. You can switch from PAL to NTSC in Setup Menu 2 / NTSC PAL Selector, but be aware that changing this parameter affects your video recording settings, and you may have to format the memory card. So unless you need to change it for other reasons than the EVF frame rate, I would leave it as it is.

With color temperature, you can make the EVF colours look warmer or colder. Personally I always keep it to 0 on all cameras. If you want to change this:Go to Setup Menu 1 (page 1/7)

The A7 III viewfinder brightness, as well as that of the other A7/A9 models, can be set in automatic or manual mode. Auto works well in many cases and I don’t find myself wanting to change it very often. But if I want maximum performance from the EVF, I’ll occasionally raise the brightness to +2.Go to Setup Menu 1 (page 1/7)

Blackout means that when you take a picture, the EVF goes black for an instant while the exposure is being recorded. You can notice the same thing on the rear LCD screen. This happens with the mechanical, first electronic curtain and electronic shutter.

Blackouts are visible in single shot mode and in continuous mode up to 8fps (Hi setting). With the latter, the camera alternates blackouts with live view. If you set the highest drive speed of 10fps (Hi+), the live view is disabled and the camera shows you the last images taken instead. This also eliminates the LCD / EVF blackout, but you’re seeing what has just happened rather than what it is happening, so there is a lag between your scene and what is shown on the screen.

The Sony A9 and A9 series work in a different way. Thanks to their stacked sensor and superior processing speed capabilities, the cameras can maintain an uninterrupted live view when using the Silent Shooting mode (electronic shutter). There are no blackouts either because the cameras have enough power to maintain live view while recording the images. This is valid in single and continuous mode up to 20fps.

When you bring the camera to your eye, a dedicated sensor on top of the EVF (eye sensor) can disable the monitor and activate the viewfinder automatically. When you move the camera away from your face, the viewfinder is disabled and live view goes back to the LCD screen.

If you wish, you can control which screen remains active manually. In fact, the only way to disable the viewfinder on Sony cameras is to deactivate the Finder / Monitor automatic switch. To do this:Go to Camera Settings 2 / Display Auto Review 1 (page 6/9)

This method is useful in situations where you’re only working with the rear monitor, and you don’t want the camera accidentally disabling it when your fingers are close to the eye sensor. The sensor can also be triggered by keeping the camera too close to your body.

There aren’t specific settings for the rear monitor apart from the brightness adjustments. (For touch screen capabilities, please refer to the dedicated chapter below.)

With Manual you can set brightness in ±2 steps. I leave it to +2 because the default value (0) is not very bright, especially when working outside. Sunny Weather boosts the brightness further, but also makes colours look unnatural so I tend to avoid it (+2 in manual mode is enough).

I have a screen protector on my A7 III and A7R III. They are inexpensive, don’t interfere with touch operation and give an extra layer of protection to the rear monitor of your camera. Check out our dedicated accessory article to find out more.

Note: with both methods, TouchPad on the screen remains active if this option is enabled. You can find out more about the touch screen capabilities further down.

With High, the quality of the LCD and EVF increases because the resolution increases. In other words, the EVF and LCD use the full resolution available whereas with Normal, it drops to preserve more battery life.

It is useful to set Display Quality to High when manually focusing, or working in a situation where there are a lot of details in your scene and you want to see them better. The difference is not immediately noticeable but small details are crisper and there is no aliasing.

You can activate a series of thin grey lines in the live view to help you with the composition. There are three options:Rule of 3rds Grid: the screen is divided into 9 blocks to represent the classic rule of third composition in photography

When shooting in continuous mode, the camera can display an indicator (vertical bar) on the left to show you how much buffer memory is left. When the bar is almost empty, the word SLOW will appear and the continuous shooting speed will decrease. There are two options:Always Display: the bar is always displayed when you are in continuous shooting mode

I always turn this off because I prefer to go back to live view as soon as possible after taking a shot. If you prefer, you can have the image you just captured appear on the EVF or LCD for a set duration (2s to 10s).

You can enable or disable the focus areas that appear when the camera is focusing in continuous AF mode (Disp. cont. AF area), as well as see the zone covered by phase detection points (Phase Detect. Area).

When recording video with a S-Log or HLG profile, enabling the Gamma Disp. Assist makes the image preview on the LCD or EVF appear with natural contrast and colours, as opposed to the flat and desaturated look of an S-Log gamma curve.

You can configure how long the magnification remains active (2s, 5s or No Limit), as well as set which magnification starts first when you press the button (1x or 6.2x). You’ll find these options in Camera Settings 1 / Focus Assist (page 13/14). Look for Focus Magnif. Time and Initial Focus Mag.*

I found that Focus Magnifier is the best way to check focus accuracy on the A7 cameras. Unfortunately in video mode, the resolution of the live view decreases a lot so details are not as sharp as when working in still mode. Often I fine tune my focus point in still mode and then switch to movie mode.

The magnification assist also works in AF-S mode. Once magnified, you can half press the shutter button (or press the back focus button) to focus while you are in magnification mode. A green cross in the middle of the screen will confirm that focus is acquired.

You can choose three levels (High, Mid, Low) and three colours (Red, Yellow or White). You can configure these settings in Camera Settings 1 / Focus Assist (page 13/14) by entering Peaking Setting.

Low gives you fewer coloured outlines which makes it easier to focus more precisely. However in some situations (such as when the subject is not close enough), they might not appear at all unless you set it to Mid level. As for colours, it really depends on the colours of your scene. I generally go for yellow or red.

Peaking can be useful to perform a quick adjustment and set focus on the right area. For fine tune adjustments however, it can lack some precision, so I would always double check with the Focus Magnifier.

Peaking can be easier to use when the live view is in Black and White. Unfortunately there isn’t a setting to make the EVF or LCD monochrome. The workaround is to select the B&W Creative Style (Camera Settings 1, page 12/14) and turn On Setting Effect for the Live View Display (Camera Settings 2, page 7/9). This works if you’re shooting RAW files because they are not affected by the Creative Style settings. If you’re shooting JPGs, this is not ideal because you’ll end up with B&W images!

The rear monitor of the A7 III, A7 IV and A9 series is touch sensitive. There isn’t a lot you can do with it unlike many of the competing cameras from other brands.

There is no touch shutter mode on the A7 III or other E-mount full frame cameras for example. This is curious because Sony implemented this functionality onto the old a5100 APS-C camera and also the recent a6400. Why they haven’t implemented touch shutter on all compatible models remains an enigma.

In Setup 2, you’ll find Touch Operation where you simply enable or disable touch sensitivity. If touch focus isn’t working on your A7 model, it is likely because the setting is disabled.

First, you need an HDMI cable. All the A7/A9 cameras have a Micro Type D port, so you’ll likely need a Micro D to full size HDMI lead (but check the input of you monitor to be sure).

If you’re connecting your A7 III to an external recorder, or want to monitor your composition without distractions, make sure that the camera doesn’t embed the setting information you see on the LCD screen, but rather gives you a clean video output.

For an external recorder, there are additional settings (excluding the A7 I series):Turn the TC Output (TimeCode) On or Off depending on your needs. This is a bit advanced if you’re just starting out, so if in doubt leave it off.

If you want to control the external recorder from the camera (Start/Stop the recording), turn On REC Control. Note that TC Output also needs to be On for this to work.

The rear LCD of the camera should remain active, and you should see the clean video feed on the external recorder connected to your A7 III. From there, you need to set up the recording on the external device. Refer to the manual of the specific model you are using.

Note: when your Sony A7 III is connected to the external recorder, the LCD screen of the camera can go black when triggering the recording from the camera.

In Setup page 4, you’ll find the 4K Output Sel. setting with two options:Memory Card + HDMI: record 4K on the SD card while sending a 4K signal via HDMI at the same time, which means you can record on both camera and recorder.

HDMI Only (24p, 25p or 30p): 4K is available via the HDMI output only. The frame rate is 24 or 30p (NTSC), or 25p (PAL). You cannot record 4K video internally on the SD card.

If you want to replicate the exact view you get on the rear LCD of your camera, including all the information on the screen, turn On the HDMI Info. Display. The rear LCD of your camera will turn off and you can work with the external monitor instead.

Note: if you have set up 4K recording in the camera, the info won’t be displayed on the external monitor. You need to select XAVC S HD or AVCHD for this to work.

Framing and shooting through a viewfinder allows the photographer to stabilize the camera and reduce the shake since it is closer to the body. Besides, Viewfinders come handy under bright sun light where LCD screens are very hard to read under bright sunlight. With the electronic viewfinders, you can also preview your photos without taking your eye off the camera.

Here we have listed the Cheapest 20 Cameras with Viewfinder sorted by price. Fujifilm S9800 is at the top of our list with a Selling Price of $ 159.99, followed by Panasonic ZS60 and Panasonic ZS50.

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